Animal feeding device

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a novel feeder which readily accommodates the three-dimensional space-envelope described by the normal range of feeding movements of a feeding animal, minimizes eating movements that are wasteful of feed, and prevents injury to the feeding animal. The feeder optionally incorporates a novel, feed-dispensing mechanism which can be removed from the throat of the feeder reservoir. The mechanism has a series of removable adjacent tubular segments, such as cylindrical rings, through which runs a removable rigid support, such as a rod. When un-actuated, the mechanism completely occludes the throat of the feeder. When a feeding animal displaces the segments upwardly, feed passes through the opening created in the throat of the feeder. When the segments return to their original position by the force of gravity, the feeder throat is occluded and feed flow stops.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to animal feeding devices, andmore particularly to a sow feeding device which reduces feed wastage andsow injury.

Animal feeding devices are commonly designed to include an enclosed feedstorage hopper, a feeding trough and an actuable means for transferringfeed from the hopper to the trough. Variously effective sow feederdesigns have been described. For example, Taylor, I., et al., Nat'l. HogFarmer, 33:24-28 (1988), studied ten sow feeder designs and observedfeed wastage ranges of from as high as 1 to 38% to as low as 0.1 to 8%.A 1% feed wastage is estimated to amount to over 1 ton of feed wastedper 100 sows per year. The authors also noted differences among feedersin terms of injury to the animal, and injury and inconvenience to theherdsman.

Some designs cause feed bridging and lodging in the passage ways of thefeeder resulting in excessively slow feed flow, feed contamination,spoilage, and wastage. Certain feed-delivery mechanisms are overlyintricate and cause feed to jam within the throat of the hopper causingerratic feed delivery. Where a feeder does not have an effective way toslow feed flow, the more feed put before the sow at any one time, thegreater the chance for feed wastage as the sow roots around and carriesfeed out on its snout. For some designs, any moisture present in thetrough can be wicked up the feed-delivery column causing feed to"set-up" and necessitating disassembly of the unit. Other feeder designsfeature actuable mechanisms that are susceptible to corrosion bymoisture, by salt in the feed, by animal saliva and manure acids and/orrequire continual maintenance.

Certain feeding devices do not "fit" most sows and as a result the sowstend to "throw" feed everywhere as they feed. For some designs, feedrooted around in the feeder tends to fall back to an area inaccessibleto sows. Confining, space-restrictive, shallow designs require a sow tojam its head down diagonally as it eats, leading to rubbing and rawspots on the brow and near the base of the ears. Very restricted accessto feed, i.e., an entry area simply too small for many sows and afeeding surface too deep, can lead to severe abrasions of the sow'ssnout, brow, and jowl. Further, those mechanisms with protruding rodsand the like, can rub the sow's jowl as the sow pushes into the feedingdevice; also, these rods can trap substantial amounts of feed making itinaccessible to the sow and resulting in additional feed wastage.Exposed sharp edges, along with exposed bolt heads, can also lead toinjury especially with very anxious or large sows.

Even the least wasteful feeding device studied by Taylor, I., et al.,supra, resulted in feed wastage of from 0.1% to 8%. This device,manufactured by Farmweld, Inc., P.0. Box 532, Teutopolis, Ill. 62467,utilizes a hollow agitator pipe to dispense feed. Although the pipeslows feed delivery to the sow, it can jam in the throat of the hopper,either in the up or down position, and can cause erratic feed delivery.Also, feed can accumulate within the hollow of the agitator pipe therebyreducing the pipe's range of displacement until little or no feed can bedelivered. This is a particular problem with diets having a relativelyhigh fat or oil content, having a high moisture content and/or having asmall particle size (i.e., fine grind). Yet, another disadvantageassociated with the mechanism of this device is that when the feedhopper is completely full, the entirety of the feed weight rests on thepipe that must be lifted by the sow to dispense feed. For some sows,this excessive weight presents considerable difficulty and poses anadditional risk of injury to the snout. Another shortcoming of thisdevice is that the overall internal dimensions are not sufficientlylarge to completely accommodate the sow; although some of the internal90° angles have been eliminated with the addition of extra panels andconverted to 45° angles, it is still difficult for some sows to maintaincomplete access to feed trapped in the recesses of the trough.Furthermore, use of this device by larger or more anxious sows sometimesleads to distortion of susceptible metal panels and the eventualconcomitant failure of the feed delivery mechanism.

Another commercially available feeding device is the Sow Saver Feeder,manufactured by Sollars Bros., Inc., 309 South Main Street, WashingtonCourt House, Ohio 43160. This device utilizes a feed dispensingmechanism involving a roller tube which, when activated by the sow'ssnout, displaces a hinged agitator. The agitator, which also serves asthe hopper bin bottom, keeps feed from bridging and serves as a guidefor the roller. Because the device has a taller hopper bin to containlarger quantities of feed, a baffle plate is required to reduce theweight of the feed on both the agitator and on the roller tube.Accommodating differences among sow feeding patterns nessitates theaddition of a further "feed drop control" mechanism. However, themechanism must be removed from the feeding device to accomodate thosesows incapable of using the mechanism. Also, from a maintenance andhygiene standpoint, the shape and means of forming the bowl area, theuse of open riveted seams and the cavities and blind corners created bythis combination, along with the intricate nature of the feed deliverymechanism, result in areas that are difficult to thoroughly clean andthat may harbor pathogenic organisms.

Thus there continues to exist a need in the art for animal feedingdevice which reduce animal injury, minimize feed wastage and areconvenient and safe for the herdsman.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device of the present invention provides a novel feeding devicewhich generally comprises a feed reservoir, a trough, and an actuablefeed dispensing mechanism all of which are operably connected so as toprovide a structure which readily accommodates the three-dimensionalspace-envelope described by the normal range of feeding movements of thefeeding animal and thereby prevents injury to the animal. Moreparticularly, the sow feeding device of the invention provides adequateheadroom; allows the sow to swallow with its mouth above or in thedevice; provides feed accessibility at, or near, floor level; providesfor automatic re-collection of feed to a focal point which is readilyaccessible to the sow; has no blind corners; and is free of protrudingbolts, nuts, and sharp edges.

In a preferred embodiment, the device of the invention optionallyincorporates a novel feed-dispensing mechanism which is effective forproviding a controlled delivery of feed rations. In operation, feed isplaced in the overhead feed reservoir and the sow actuates the feeddispensing mechanism to obtain feed. The feed dispensing mechanism,removably situated in the throat of the feed reservoir, comprises aseries of removable adjacent tubular segments, preferably cylindricalring segments, through which runs a removable rigid support means, suchas a rod. In the un-actuated state, the feed dispensing mechanismsubstantially occludes the throat of the feeder. Each of the segmentscan be independently displaced upwardly into the feed reservoir whenpushed by the feeding animal's snout. The upward displacement of thesegments creates an opening in the throat of the feed reservoir throughwhich feed can then pass. When the segments return to their originalposition by the force of gravity, the throat is once again occluded andfeed flow stops.

The removable segments, the removable rod, and the spaces between thesegments all can be adjusted to modify the degree and extent ofdisplacement of the segments and consequently the amount of feeddispensed. Thus, in yet another conformation of the invention, theseremovable segments can be replaced with segments that are narrower,and/or that have a larger internal diameter and/or external diameterand/or that can protrude more deeply into the feed reservoir; and/or theremovable rod support means can be replaced with a rod support meanshaving a smaller diameter. This conformation is particularly useful forincreased feed delivery or for use with feed requiring a larger apertureto flow through, such as high fat or high moisture content feeds, orcoarser consistency feeds, such as pelleted or cubed feeds. The "feed"as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 2A is for illustrative purposes and is in noway intended to indicate limitations on the type and/or consistency offeeds usable in this device as the device can be appropriately adjustedto accommodate other feed types and/or consistencies. In anotherconformation, particularly useful for decreasing the amount of feeddelivered, or, for delivery of a less coarse feed, a larger diameter rodsupport means can be used, and/or segments with wider and/or smallerinternal and/or external diameters, and/or segments protuding to alesser extent into the feed reservoir can be used, thereby reducing therange of displacement of the segments.

The animal feeding device of the invention can be free standing or canbe connected to a crate by means of a gate which can be singly or doublyhinged to the right and/or to the left. The feeding device is positionedfor optimal access to the feeding animal and can be mounted to the cratevia a pivot point so the feeder can be tipped out for cleaning.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentupon consideration of the following detailed description, referencebeing made to the following drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective of an assembled animal feeder embodying thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, partially cutaway, of the animal feedertaken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1, including views of the sow infeeding and actuating positions;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view illustratingactuation of the feed dispensing mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front view of the animal feeding device,partially in section, detailing the feed dispensing mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the entire feeding device;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective of the feed dispensing mechanism in astatic condition; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective of the feed dispensing mechanism in anoperative condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description illustrates practice of the invention whichprovides novel and improved devices for the feeding of animals withminimal feed wastage and minimal injury to the animal. The descriptionis not intended in any way to limit the scope of the invention.

Dimensional data necessary for designing the shape and size of thefeeding devices of the invention are derived through spatial analysis ofthe eating movements of a representative sampling of the animals forwhich the feeding device is intended. For example, information regardingthe kinematics of head, neck, and forelimb motion during feed ingestionhave been characterized for sows and pigs with reference to theirpotential utility in developing feeding device design criteria. Taylor,I., et al., J. Animal Sci., 65 (Suppl. 1):223 (1987); and Taylor, I., etal., J. Animal Sci., 66(Suppl. 1):242 (1988). The feeding device is thendesigned so that its structure does not intrude upon, but ratheraccommodates, within close tolerances, the three-dimensional spaceenvelope described by the "triad" formed by the animal's snout tip,nuchal crest or frontal eminence, and angle of mandible during thenatural range of eating movements of the animal for which the device isintended. As used herein, the terms nuchal crest and fontal eminencerefer to the upper most protruding point of the skull when the animal ofinterest is in its feeding position. That is, the overall shape of thefeeding device, particularly the interior dimensions of the trough andthe relative positionings of the reservoir and the feed dispensingmechanism, is such that it will accommodate the range of motionassociated with normal feeding of the 95th percentile for the weightrange and animal of interest, when the animal is offered feed atground/floor level in a relatively unobstructed manner, and will therebyavoid animal injury and minimize feed waste.

Specifically, the feeding device design orients the prehensile phase ofingestive behavior to a focal point. Feed drops to this focal point notonly via the dispensing mechanism but also as a result of the animal'snatural eating movements. This focal point of feed concentration islocated in an area of optimal access to that animal species and weightrange for which the feeding device is intended and depends both upon theanatomy of the particular animal species and upon the feedingposition(s) most favored by that species.

Similarly, the optimal positioning of the feed-dispensing mechanism ofthe feeder depends upon the anatomy of the particular animal species.The placement and design of the dispensing mechanism is intended tolimit the quantity of feed which collects at the focal point of thefeeding device over time for a less wasteful ingestive process.Generally, the feed-dispensing mechanism is placed sufficiently low toallow access to the feeding animal via a generally upward motion of thesnout/nose from the focal point to the dispensing mechanism, and yet isplaced sufficiently high to require an intentional action by the animalto produce delivery of feed from the overhead feed reservoir.

FIGS. 1, and 2, show an animal feeding device 10 which comprises a feedreservoir 11, a trough 12, a rear panel 15 extending between twoopposedly facing side panels 13 and 14, a V-shaped front panel 16 havingan upper section 17 and a lower section 18, and extending between saidside panels, an optional top panel 19 and an actuable feed dispensingmechanism 23. The side panels 13 and 14 of the feeding device areimperforate to enclose the feeding process and are positionedsufficiently far apart to readily accomodate the feeding animal'sshoulders during its natural feeding movements; this accommodationprevents excessive feed spillage. The overall width of the feeder can beincrementally increased to allow for multiple feeding positions forgroups of animals maintained together in pens or in a pasture.

The rear panel 15 and the V-shaped front panel 16 are positioned to formthe throat 28 of the feed reservoir. The upper portions of the twoopposedly facing side panels 13 and 14 form the sides of the reservoir.Optionally, the top panel 19 may be attached to the upper edge of therear panel of the feed reservoir 11 by means of a hinge 33. If alleyspace is not of concern, then the front panel need not be V-shape andinstead can be substantially straight; in addition, the rear panel 15can be V-shaped to increase the volume capacity of the hopper; in thisconfiguration, the bulk of the feed hopper is on the side furthest fromthe feeding animal. Although the front panel is preferably V-shaped(and/or optionally, the rear panel is V-shaped), other shapes will besimilarly effective, particularly if the angle formed between the uppersection 17 and the lower section 18 of the V-shaped front panel 16generates a slope which preferably is equal to or greater than that ofthe angle of repose of the feed. The angle of repose for a given feedmaterial is that angle formed by the surface of a freely formed pile ofmaterial with the horizontal. For example, for a typical sow feed, suchas a 14% protein ground corn-soy diet, the angle of repose is 60°.Therefore, this feed will most readily slide on an inclined plane of 60°or more. Because animal clearance of the feeding device is of primaryconcern in the design of the device, if necessary the angle can bemaintained by movement of the whole panel upward so that clearance, aswell as the desired angle, are achieved.

The furthest forward, i.e., towards the feeding animal, projection point26, of the front panel 16 of the feed reservoir 11, is ideallypositioned so as to minimize contact with the feeding animal,particularly the head or neck, during the entire range of movements ofingestive behavior (FIG. 2). Further, the positioning and the angling ofthe inclined lower section 18 of the front panel 16, i.e., the segmentbetween points 26 and 27, is designed to permit the animal to engage innormal ingestive movements, including actuation of the feed dispensingmechanism, and to minimize contact between the animal and the lowersection of the panel 18.

The feed dispensing mechanism 23, which extends perpendicularly betweenthe side panels 13 and 14, is secured by a fastening means 34 (FIGS. 1and 4), which fastening means allows for complete removal as well as foroptional repositioning of the mechanism to the desired one of multipleheights, within the throat of the reservoir 28 between the rear panel 15and the lower section 18 of the front panel 16. The mechanism 23 ispositioned in the throat 28 to block feed flow when the mechanism is inthe un-actuated position (FIG. 2A).

The throat of the reservoir, and therefore the height of the feeddispensing mechanism, is positioned at a height from the ground that isat least equal to the distance from the front to the back of the feedingdevice, i.e., that distance (discussed in greater detail, infra)described by the diameter of the semicircle formed by 24, 21, 25, 20,and 22 (FIG. 2).

The feed dispensing mechanism 23, comprises a series of adjacent tubularsegments 29 through which runs a rigid support rod 30 (FIGS. 2, 2A, 3,5, and 6). While cylindrical ring segments have been shown, segmentshapes (with rounded points) other than cylindrical may be similarlyeffective. These include star, prismatic, elliptical, as well asspherical, and ovoid shapes. The outside diameter of the support rod 30is less than the inside diameter of the cylindrical ring segments 29 toallow each of the segments to be independently displaced upwardly intothe feed reservoir when pushed by an animal's snout from below (FIG.2A). As used herein, the term "snout" is also intended to mean nose.Such action results in opening a portion of the feed reservoir'soccluded throat. FIG. 2A shows the upward displacement of one suchsegment and the opening thereby created in the throat. The size of theopening created in the throat is proportional to the number of segmentsdisplaced and to the extent of the segments' displacement, which in turndetermines the amount of feed dispensed into the trough. The segmentsreturn to their original resting place as a result of gravity and uponthe animal's ceasing to displace the segments. The internal shape of thesegments is preferably circular but can be any shape, e.g., elliptical,ovoid, which is effective in creating the desired feed dispensingaction.

The feed dispensing mechanism can be adjusted, to accommodate the flowcharacteristics of the type of feed being used by modifying the segmentsand/or the support rod, thereby widening or narrowing the feed flowaperture created in the throat of the feeder. For example, the amount offeed dispensed per displacement operation can be adjusted by alteringthe throat depth, i.e., altering the outside diameter and/or the widthof the cylindrical segments, and the outside diameter of the rigidsupport rod (e.g., via the addition of appropriately sized sleeves).Furthermore, the free space between adjacent segments can be adjusted tomodify the degree of displacement of the segments and to facilitate theuse of various feeds having various particle sizes and water content. Inaddition, the feed flow can be adjusted by modifying the ease with whichthe animal can displace the segments. For example, weighted orspring-loaded segments can be used. Also, the relative height (from thestanding surface) of the support rod can be adjusted by re-positioningthe rod, either upward or downward, between the side panels 13 and 14.By all of these means, the feed dispensing mechanism can be adjusted toaccommodate various feed types and particle sizes as well as theparticular animal's eating movements and its particular life cycle stagefeeding needs.

FIG. 6, which depicts the segments in one of many possible actuatedpositions, demonstrates another important aspect and advantage of thedispensing mechanism. The segment arrangement facilitates aself-cleaning action which prevents the accumulation of feed withincylindrical segments 29. With every displacement from, and return backto the normal position, the cylindrical segments are sufficientlyjostled and collided into adjacent segments so as to free any feed whichmay adhere to the segments or the dispensing mechanism. Although aparticular feed dispensing mechanism has been depicted and described, itis foreseen that other dispensing mechanisms could be adapted for usewith the spatial design of the feeding device of the invention.

The trough 12 of the feeder, includes a base portion 20, an upwardlyprojecting front portion 21, and an upwardly projecting rear portion 22,depending from the lower portion of the rear panel 15 of the reservoirand angularly disposed from the base portion 20, and disposed betweenthe lower portion of the two side panels 13 and 14 (FIG. 2). The troughis not only configured to dispose the rear portion 22 from the baseportion 20, preferably by an angle at least equal to the angle of reposeof the feed, but is also configured so as to generate sufficient spaceto accomodate and not obstruct the arc of movement of the animal's snoutfrom a focal point 25 upward to feed mechanism 23. The feedgathering, orfocal, point 25 of the device is that point in the trough to whichun-ingested feed gravitates either upon being dispensed from theoverhead feed reservoir or as a result of the normal eating movements ofthe animal. The interior of trough 12 is rounded so that no blind spotsare generated and is preferably of sufficient width so that all feedwhich may collect in the trough is readily accessible to the feedinganimal.

The extended arc of the trough, described by locations 24, 25, and 23,is sufficiently large to allow the feeding animal to swing its snoutupwardly to activate the feed dispensing mechanism 23 and then to swingits snout downwardly back to the focal point 25 without coming insubstantial contact with the feeding device during this range of motion.The front-to-back depth of the device, i.e., the diameter of thesemicircle formed by locations 24, 21, 25, 20, and 22, is slightlygreater than the distance from the nuchal crest/frontal eminence (thatmidway point located on the ridge on the skull running approximatelybetween the base of each ear) to the tip of the animal's snout for the95th percentile of the weight range and animal of interest, or justlarger than the length of the mandible, measured from the mandibularangle to the lip at the mandibular tip, for the 95th percentile weightrange and animal of interest.

The front lip 24 of the trough (FIG. 2) is of a height from the surfaceon which the animal stands, and is of an outward projection, towards thefeeding animal, so as to contain feed within the feeding device but notso high and/or so outwardly projecting as to prevent the animal fromadopting a natural feeding posture. Generally, the height of the frontlip 24 of the trough is no greater, and, preferably less, than thedistance from the surface on which the animal stands to the animal'ssternum. More particularly, the height of the front lip 24 is at leastequal to the radius of the semi-circle formed by locations 24, 21, 25,20, and 22, or, stated alternatively, the height is at least half thefront to back depth of the feeder, and is less than the distance fromthe standing surface, i.e., the floor, to the animal's sternum for the95th percentile of the weight range and animal of interest. The troughdesign comprises those dimensions that minimize contact, particularly ofthe animal's sternal or ventral neck surfaces or throat or jaw, with thefront lip of the trough when the feeding animal assumes a naturalfeeding posture.

The animal feeding device of the invention can be either free standingor connected to a crate by means of a gate. The device is mounted suchthat location 25 is at or only slightly above the surface upon which thefeeding animal stands. If mounted onto a gate, the gate can be singlyand/or doubly hinged to either side. Optionally, the device can bemounted to the crate via a pivot point 35 (FIG. 1) so that the feedingdevice can be readily tipped out for cleaning.

Numerous modifications and variations in the invention as describedabove are expected to occur to those skilled in the art and consequentlyonly such limitations as appear in the appended claims should be placedthereon. Accordingly, it is intended in the appended claims to cover allsuch equivalent structural variations which come within the scope of theinvention as claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mechanism for dispensing animal feed from afeed reservoir, having a lower end and a throat at said lower end, to aposition substantially below said reservoir,said feed dispensingmechanism comprising: an internal support member; means mounting saidsupport member at said throat; a plurality of tubular segments disposedin adjacent, hanging relation around said support member; said segmentsand said support member comprising means cooperating to mount eachsegment for vertical and lateral movement between a first position,wherein said segments jointly substantially occlude flow of feed fromsaid reservoir through said throat, and a second position, displaceablefrom said first position, wherein said segments are displaced and allowfeed to flow from said reservoir through said throat and to a positionsubstantially below said reservoir; said mounting means for saidsegments comprising means permitting tilting of individual segments;said dispensing mechanism being devoid of external restraints againstsaid tilting.
 2. The feed dispensing mechanism as recited in claim 1wherein:there is a free space between adjacent tubular segments toaccommodate said movement.
 3. The feed dispensing mechanism as recitedin claim 1 wherein:said segments extend substantially upwardly into saidfeed reservoir when said segments are in said second position.
 4. Thefeed dispensing mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein:said segmentsare normally urged to their first position by gravity; and said segmentsare movable from their first position to their second position inresponse to upward motion thereagainst by said feeding animal.
 5. Thefeed dispensing mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein:said tubularsegments comprise cylindrical rings.
 6. The feed dispensing mechanism asrecited in claim 1 wherein:said support member comprises a rod.
 7. Thefeed dispensing mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein said supportmember diameter is less than said tubular segments' diameter.
 8. Thefeed dispensing mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein:said movement ofsaid segments to their second position creates an opening in saidthroat; and the size of said throat opening is proportional to thenumber of segments in said second position.
 9. In an animal feedingdevice including a feed reservoir, a trough located below saidreservoir, and a mechanism actuable by a feeding animal for dispensingfeed from said reservoir into said trough, wherein said feeding deviceis for use with a feeding animal which, during feeding and activation ofsaid feed-dispensing mechanism, generates a three-dimensional spaceenvelope as a result of said feeding animal's natural range of feedingmovements, the improvement wherein:said reservoir and said troughcomprise means cooperating to accomodate said three-dimensional spaceenvelope and to accomodate said feeding animal without substantialintrusion into said space envelope; said reservoir has a lower end andhas a throat at said lower end of said reservoir; said feed dispensingmechanism is located at said throat; and said feed dispensing mechanismcomprises: an internal support member; means mounting said supportmember at said throat; a plurality of tubular segments disposed inadjacent, hanging relation around said support member; said segments andsaid support member comprising means cooperating to mount each segmentfor vertical and lateral movement between a first position, wherein saidsegments jointly substantially occlude flow of feed from said reservoirthrough said throat, and a second position, displaceable from said firstposition, wherein said segments are displaced and allow feed to flowfrom said reservoir through said throat and into said trough; saidmounting means for said segments comprising means permitting tilting ofindividual segments; said dispensing mechanism being devoid of externalrestraints against said tilting.
 10. An animal feeding device as recitedin claim 9 wherein:there is a free space between adjacent tubularsegments to accomodate said movement.
 11. An animal feeding device asrecited in claim 9 wherein:said segments extend upwardly into said feedreservoir when said segments are in said second position.
 12. An animalfeeding device as recited in claim 9 wherein:said segments are normallyurged to their first position by gravity; and said segments are movablefrom their first position to their second position in response to upwardmotion thereagainst by the snout of said feeding animal.
 13. An animalfeeding device as recited in claim 9 wherein:said tubular segmentscomprise cylindrical rings.
 14. An animal feeding device as recited inclaim 9 wherein:said movement of said segments to their second positioncreates an opening in said throat; and the size of said throat openingis proportional to the number of segments in said second position.